Israel, much like the fortress of Tel-Chai that Jospeh Trumpeldor fought to defend against Arab conquerors in 1920, finds itself beseiged by enemies both within and without. Terrorists, would-be friends inside and outside Israel, and even bad government officials. Here are the discussions of one proud Zionist resident on the state of the nation and abroad.

Once Zionist center in Haifa could become Muslim propaganda center

Once a symbol of "the red city," the Chen movie theater in Haifa's Hadar Hacarmel neighborhood will soon become an Arab culture center dedicated to telling the Palestinian narrative.

The Arab Culture Association recently purchased the building from the Maccabi Haifa soccer club board of trustees for four million shekels ($1.15 million). According to the plans given to the Haifa District Construction and Planning committee, the group seeks to convert the structure, which has been abandoned for years, into a modern office building that will include a cultural center.

A senior committee official confirmed the report to Israel Hayom, and said the group had already provided design models of the intended structure.

"[The building] is an old sports arena that was built in the late 1960s and served as a place for social and sporting events for Maccabi Haifa," a senior official representative from Maccabi Haifa's board of trustees said, confirming the purchase. [...]

Among the founders of the Arab Culture Association is former Haifa resident and Balad MK Azmi Bishara, who fled Israel after being sought by authorities for allegedly contacting Hezbollah agents during the 2006 Second Lebanon War and helping the terrorist group acquire targets in Haifa for their rockets. Bishara's sister Rawda served as the group's director and led part of the efforts to purchase the abandoned theater with the help of her brother, who rallied businessmen from Qatar and other Arab nations for support.

Following Rawda's death, Iyyad Barghouti was elected director and confirmed to Israel Hayom that part of the funds for the acquisition arrived from Qatar, businessmen in Arab states and donations from the European Union. "We will build a cultural center to preserve the Palestinian legacy so that Arab youth in Haifa will know how we lived here before 1948," Barghouti said. "We have the full right to represent our narrative as the Palestinian minority and the right-wing groups trying to stop this initiative will not deter us."

Members of Likud and right-wing organizations in the city said the municipality could have blocked the purchase by placing the building on a list of structures designated for preservation in the city.

Clearly, their leftist bent got the better of them, and now, if there's no resistance, it'll become a center for living lies. Fortunately, if this news says anything:

The Israeli “National Vision” (Chazon Leumi) group said that it would work to prevent the establishment of the Arab center in the building. “It's clear that the establishment of this center will not be a positive thing for coexistence,” the organization said. “Anyone can see that such a center will very quickly be converted into a propaganda mill against the rights of the Jewish people to its state, and will be an Azmi Bishara-type center for radical anti-Israel action and hate.

“We call on Zionist residents of Haifa and northern Israel, and to the Haifa municipality, to enhance the Zionist narrative, not the enemy's narrative,” the group said. “We will begin a major campaign against this in the coming days.”

The sale certainly should not be allowed if a war criminal's group is behind this.

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About me

I'm Avi Green

From Jerusalem, Israel

I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best.